Phelan Man Pleads Guilty to 6 Felony Counts

PHELAN, Calif. (VVNG.com) In August 2016, a female juvenile victim disclosed that 34-year-old Jose Garcia, who is a relative of the victim, had been sexually molesting her for approximately two years.

Detective Osvaldo Pelayes and Deputy Wendy Perea conducted the investigation and were able to gain enough evidence to obtain a search warrant for Garcia’s residence. On September 1, 2016, detectives served a search warrant at Garcia’s residence and located numerous handguns and other evidence pertinent to the case. Jose Garcia, who is a convicted felon, is not allowed to possess firearms. He was not home at the time of the search, and an arrest warrant was issued.

On Wednesday, December 7, 2016, members of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Specialized Enforcement Division located Garcia in the parking lot of Stater Bros. grocery store in Phelan. They attempted to contact Garcia, but he evaded them, ramming several vehicles, including a sheriff’s vehicle. Garcia fled to his residence and was subsequently taken into custody without further incident. It was later learned the vehicle Garcia was driving had been reported stolen.

On March 1, 2017, Jose Garcia pled guilty to 6 felony counts, including assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm, evading, vehicle theft, felon in possession of a firearm, vandalism and lewd acts on a child. Two of these convictions are felony strikes. As a condition of the plea, Garcia will be required to register as a sex offender for life. He is set for sentencing on March 27, 2017, at the Victorville Courthouse.

Anyone with information regarding this crime is urged to contact Detective Osvaldo Pelayes at the Victor Valley Sheriff’s Station at (760) 552-6801. Persons wishing to remain anonymous can report information to WeTip by calling 1-800-78-CRIME, or by accessing the website at www.wetip.com.